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Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

11 Colleges
$28,022 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$56,106 Avg Salary

With 2,293 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, architecture and related services is the #28 most popular major in California.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

The Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 11 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for architecture and related services students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Architecture & Related Services Colleges.

$7,439 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named California State Polytechnic University - Pomona the best value school in California for architecture and related services students. Cal Poly Pomona is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 per year. After completing their degree, architecture and related services graduates from Cal Poly Pomona carry an average student debtload of $22,750.

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$10,195 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a great value for architecture and related services students. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 a year. Architecture & Related Services majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out an average of $20,187 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $454.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list.

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$14,226 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Berkeley are $14,226 per year. The average amount in student loans that architecture and related services majors at UC Berkeley take out is $15,000.

UC Berkeley also made our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list, coming in at #3.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at University of California - Berkeley

$13,258 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best architecture and related services schools in California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a very large student population.

UCLA undergraduate students pay an average of $13,258 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCLA also is in the top 10% of our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California ranking.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at University of California - Los Angeles

$14,645 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Davis are $14,645 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, UC Davis is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at University of California - Davis

$13,775 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Irvine landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value architecture and related services programs. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Irvine are $13,775 per year.

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$29,427 Average Tuition & Fees

Newschool of Architecture and Design landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value architecture and related services programs. Newschool of Architecture and Design is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of San Diego.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Newschool of Architecture and Design are $29,427 a year. On average, architecture and related services graduates from Newschool of Architecture and Design take out $39,668 in student loans while working on their degree.

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$61,503 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Southern California came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California ranking. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

USC undergraduate students pay an average of $61,503 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, architecture and related services graduates from USC take out $21,750 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $551.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, USC also did well on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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#9

Woodbury University

Burbank, CA
$43,418 Average Tuition & Fees

Woodbury University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. Located in the city of Burbank, Woodbury is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Woodbury are $43,418 a year. The average amount in student loans that architecture and related services majors at Woodbury take out is $45,500. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $279, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at Woodbury University

#10

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, CA
$52,312 Average Tuition & Fees

California College of the Arts ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. California College of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at California College of the Arts are $52,312 a year.

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Explore all the Best Value Architecture & Related Services Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 349
Oregon 269
Hawaii 74
Nevada 78

Major Annual Graduates
Architectural Sciences & Technology 6,781
General Architecture 4,982
Urban & Regional Planning 2,419
Landscape Architecture 905
Environmental Design 741
Interior Architecture 728
Real Estate Development 420
Architecture (Other) 202
Architectural History 147

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer & Information Sciences 254,454
Engineering 198,468
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 177,778
Engineering Technologies 85,188
Mathematics & Statistics 52,396

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 11 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Lorenzo Cafaro.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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